The Martyrs of Karbala: Shi'i Symbols and Rituals in Modern Iran

The Tragedy of Karbala is a historical event which took place in 680 A.D. in Karbala, Iraq, where a grandson of the Prophet of Islam named Husayn (spelled variously as Husain, Hussein, etc.) was brutally killed by the orders of Yazeed, the Umayyad Caliph of the time, after having fought desperately with a handful of his companions.Since that time, the Tragedy is remembered as a solemn event by sad lamentations (populalrly known as AZADARI), as an effort to protect the basic human rights by a lone crusader against a tyrannical despot, and as the struggle for true and pristine Islam against a debauch oppressor who had taken the garb of a Caliph.The Shi’a Muslims have taken that as a part of their religious duty and practice that lamentation mixed with some demonstrations. Iran being the majority Shi’a country, stands out for that practice. However, the Iranian general public has developed a custom of T’aziyya to commemorate the tragedy which consists of street dramas which look like a celebration more than a solemn observation of a tragedy. Scholars who have written about the Tragedy have obviously been attracted to those dramas rather than to the true passion and the underlying philosophy of the great sacrifice presented by Husayn.A number of books have appeared describing the Tragedy. Kamran Scott Aghai’s The Martyrs of Karbala is one such book. This book, as we mentioned, is also full of glossy pictures and describes the Iranian tradition of T’aziyya.However, the main spread of the Karbala observance has happened in the wider world through the South Asian culture of India/Pakistan, so is true about the U.K. and the U.S.A.Aghai’s book stands out because he has spent considerable time and space in discussing how the Karbala Tragedy was used by the revolutionary forces in Iran to help the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran.Chapter 6 of the book discusses the controversy that ensued in the 20th century about how the Tragedy should be documented and how it has to be described in public, both as a religious text as well as a socio-political text. Chapter 7 has discussed the gender issues related to Karbala, as to how tow significant female characters are presented in the socio-religious cultural milieu of Iran, namely: Fatima the daughter of the Prophet of Islam(who had passed away before the event of Karbala but was instrumental as being the mother of Husayn, and Zaynab, Fatima’s daughter and Husayn’s sister who was responsible for describing the events of Karbala afterwards to the wider world. Chapter 8 specifically discusses the way Khomaini and his ruling apparatus used the Karbala paradigm for setting up an Islamic government in Iran, very much like the Karbala passion had been used in the 1960s and 1970s by revolutionary groups to oust the Shah. The author notes very correctly that even though the revolutionary leaders had claimed that they were bringing in a new universal Islamic revolution in Iran, the Iranian nationalism was strengthened by the 1979 Revolution rather than supplanted by any new Islamic movement.

The Shi'i branch of Islam makes up only about 15 percent of the religion. But counting for nearly the entire population of Iran and 60 percent of Iraq's, the Shi'i have a crucial influence on Middle East and world affairs from their numbers in these strategically important countries. A professor of Islamic and Iranian history at the U. of Texas-Austin, Aghaie gives a view of Shi'i culture in Iran that is eye-opening and germane for Western readers. Basically, one sees that for the Shi'i there is no clear, or even worthwhile, distinction between religion and other aspects of society, including most significantly government. Whereas such a distinction is a part of the foundation of the U. S. and other democracies, Shi'i culture was founded with the defeat of the Prophet Mohammad's grandson Hoseyn and the massacre of his family by the caliph Yazidin in the 680AD battle of Karbala. Shi'i religious ceremonies, motives for behavior, social purposes, and community goals grew out of this defeat. A special intensity and commitment, as well as sacrifice, was called for so Islam as expressed by Mohammad and his descendants would not be lost. This branch of Islam faith is distinguished from that reflected in the institutional rule of the caliphs came about throughout most of the Middle East. Aghaie's subject is the relationship between Iranian leaders from the Qajars of the 19th and early 20th century through the Shah of Iran to today's Islamic Republic and the symbols and rituals of Shiism. The Shah of Iran was overturned in a revolution because in an effort to modernize Iran, he sought to minimize the symbols and rituals. The work brings an insight into the Shi'i culture that is timely and germane considering current events in Iran and Iraq and U. S. ambitions to institute democracy in this area.

Professor Aghaie is my professor at The University of Texas at Austin and he's amazing! His book depicts eye-opening facts about the battle and is just as good as his teaching!